Boom Boom Rocket is tough to describe. In fact, the very games it resembles and borrows its design from are some of the worst imaginable. If someone told you Boom Boom was a clone of a Sega CD full motion video title and launch title Fantavision on the PlayStation 2, you’d be rightfully taken aback.
Yet, this oddly addictive mix of re-imagined classical music and stunning particle effects is impossible to put down. It’s a devilishly simple game in which colored arrows that represent fireworks rise to the top of the screen where they need to be detonated at a precise moment on a thin bar. The closer you are to the exact center of the bar when you press the corresponding button determines how many points you earn.
While it’s easy to compare this to the ridiculously popular dance and rhythm games, something about Boom Boom Rocket places it in its own category and into that oddball combo mentioned above. You’re using the D-pad and buttons instead of a dance pad, the arrows come from the bottom of the screen from all directions, and the thin marker that’s your goal offers a wide range of possible scores. This makes the offline only multi-player frenzied fun, especially as the players have their fireworks cross each other’s paths.
Where Boom Boom can separate itself from those disastrous Sega CD D-pad prompting FMV games like Power Rangers is the skill involved. A gamer willing to devote countless hours into mastering the timing required to nail every note will find themselves instantly hooked. It’s not simply about memorization. Missing a note isn’t a complete loss, but this is a game that thrives on perfection.
Consecutively making successful fireworks pop into a gorgeous burst of color adds to a score multiplier. When filled, you can activate a 16x mode, in which the fireworks come close to tripling in size, also a fun aspect of mutli-player. You can craft large sections of fireworks, making it difficult for your opponent to decipher his or her own on their side of the split screen.
Article comments
1 - Ken Edwards
This is one addicting game. The demo did not do it justice.